The world split open.
The cult's chant rose to a deafening crescendo, echoing through Kael's skull until it drowned out his heartbeat. The shard pulsed like a drum inside his chest, each throb threatening to tear him apart.
Let go… let me devour them… let me show you what you are.
Kael's knees buckled. His breath came in ragged gasps. He could feel it — the line, the edge between resisting and surrendering. He'd balanced on it for too long.
And now, with the cult closing in… he fell.
A roar ripped from his throat as the shard erupted.
Light burst from his body in a violent shockwave, tearing through the cult's ranks. Trees cracked and splintered, masks shattered into bone dust, robes ignited with searing flame. The forest shook as if the sky itself had screamed.
Kael staggered to his feet, but he wasn't just Kael anymore. His skin glowed with veins of molten gold, his eyes blazed with unnatural fire. His fists pulsed with a power that burned and healed all at once, hungry for more.
The cult reeled back, voices breaking into shrieks. "The Key! The Key is open!"
Varic's laughter thundered through the carnage. "Yes! That's it, boy! Tear them apart!"
Kael's fists struck out, each blow exploding with divine force. One cultist's chest caved in with a single punch. Another dissolved into ash under a surge of raw light. Their ichor hissed and boiled wherever it touched him, but the shard devoured it greedily, making him stronger, faster, more unstoppable.
But with every kill, the whispers grew louder.
Yes. Yes. Feed me. You are mine.
Kael's vision blurred, edges of the world dripping into black flame. His chest burned like it would burst. He could feel himself slipping, drowning in the shard's hunger.
And then—
"Kael!"
Her voice.
Lyra.
For a split second, he heard her as if she were standing right beside him, her wings bright against the dark. The memory of her touch, her tears, her plea: "Don't lose yourself."
The glow faltered. Kael gasped, clutching his chest, forcing the shard's tide back with sheer will.
"No… I'm still me…"
He staggered, the light dimming to a violent shimmer instead of a blaze. The cultists hesitated, whispering frantically among themselves.
"The Key resists…"
"The door wavers…"
Varic snarled, slamming his axe into the ground. "Fool! Why stop now? You had them!"
Kael's chest heaved, his fists still sparking with unstable light. His voice was raw, but defiant:
"I'm not your Key. And I'm not your monster."
The surviving cultists shrieked, retreating into the shadows. Their chant broke into fragments, promises of return. "The door will open… the Abyss waits… we will come again…"
In moments, they were gone.
Silence fell. The forest, scarred and burning, seemed to exhale.
Kael dropped to his knees, trembling, his hands still glowing faintly. Every muscle screamed, his veins still humming with stolen power.
Varic loomed over him, disappointment etched across his savage grin. "You could've become a god just now. And you chose to crawl back into being human."
Kael raised his head, sweat dripping down his brow. His eyes blazed with weary defiance.
"Better human than monster."
Varic's grin twisted into something darker, sharper. "Then you'll never survive what's coming."
And in the smoldering dawn, Kael realized: this was only the beginning.
⸻
➡️ Cliffhanger: Kael has unleashed the shard but pulled back just enough to remain himself. The cult knows he's the Key, Varic is furious at his restraint, and the world will soon hear whispers of what happened in the wilds.